A number of victims of stroke can have the functions to one side of their body seriously reduced while the other side of their body remains quite functional (hemiplegic). To address this specific issue, it has been known to provide a lift and drop type walker where the walker is generally positioned adjacent the patient's strong side of the body. The walker allows the user to balance and provide additional support when he is moving his good leg to the next position. The pick up and placement phase of the walker is a vulnerable time with respect to the user maintaining dynamic balance since the supporting aid must leave contact from the floor, reducing the user's total base support from six point contact to two point contact. Once the strong leg is in position, the walker can then be moved by lifting to the next position and the process continues. It is a slow process, fatiguing due to the weight of the walker (even when fabricated with light weight aluminum) and due to the added expenditure of energy of the normal upper extremity and is therefore suitable for only short distances.
Existing walker arrangements which are located in front of the user are not appropriate for a hemiplegic and use of the same would be quite dangerous.
For a hemiplegic with fairly limited to no functional use of the upper extremity, there is no walking aid that allows them to ambulate and carry out a functional activity at the same time.